Well, I've been playing and gigging since Moby Dick was a minnow. I have owned lots of expensive guitars and I still own a pile with the pickup de' jour, and all the "required" mods. And still, the best playing, best sounding guitar I own is my box stock ASe. Go figure.
Just depends on the gig. For our three guitar lineup I use the Esquire since it occupies a neat sonic space, but when it's two or one guitar, the ASe still holds it's ground with anything I've owned.